Page 40 of Taming Waves

“Audi,” I say, waiting until she looks up. “Don’t pull away from me now.”

The employee door swings open at that moment, and Leonard walks in.

“Hey, guys. Looks like it’s going to be a good night. There’s already a line out front.”

“Told you,” Audrey says as she tugs herself free. “I’m going to go warn Calvin and the guys.”

The night is indeed busy. Leena gets plenty of on-the-job training, and the patrons are surprisingly patient with her. I think once she gains a little confidence, she will be great.

Audrey is the true rock star though. She breezes from one side of the bar to the other. Mixing cocktails and topping off mugs of draft with precision while filling every ticket entered by the servers on the floor.

Every man in the place is enamored with her, and most of them are respectful, but I clock a guy at the end of the bar who’s getting handsy. Each time she sets down a tray for the waitstaff to pick up, he slides the back of his hand up her arm. The first time, she smiled sweetly at him and moved away quickly, but the last time, he wrapped his hand around her biceps, and I could tell that it startled her.

As I move closer, I can hear her politely answering his questions about her tattoos.

“I’ve never liked tattoos on a woman before, but yours are sexy,” he says as he fingers her ink.

I walk up behind her, and his eyes snap up to mine.

“Can I get you anything, buddy?” I ask, a little louder than necessary.

He pulls his hand back. “No. Audrey here is taking care of me.”

I look down at her. “I’ll get him, baby.”

She narrows her eyes at me.

“Leena has a question for you.”

She turns back to him. “Sorry, Tony, she’s in training. Parker here will get you anything you need.”

She glares at me as she walks to the bar’s other side, leaving me alone with the sleazeball. I lean over, resting my elbows on the bar before him.

“You need to keep your hands to yourself,” I tell him.

“I didn’t see her complaining,” he says.

He obviously has too much liquid courage to use good judgment.

“That’s because she’s too polite. I’m not. You don’t get in a woman’s personal space unless she wants you there.”

“Maybe she does.”

I grab the empty mug from in front of him. “What are you drinking?”

“Stella Artois.”

I grab a fresh mug and fill it from the Stella tap. I set it down in front of him.

“Here’s a fresh one. I suggest you take it and sit at a table and behave because if I see you pawing one of my bartenders or servers again, I’ll escort you out the door myself.”

We’re locked in a stare down for a few beats before he finally takes the beer and disappears into the crowd.

The whole thing has me on edge, and when she returns, I hover, ensuring he doesn’t come back to harass her.

“Do you mind walking away? Your presence is affecting my customers,” Audrey snaps over her shoulder.

“Just making sure your stalker doesn’t return.”

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